POL101Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Robert A. Dahl, Polyarchy, Collective Action
20 Feb 2016
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You can vote someone in and out. Variations of democracy: stability, no 2 democracies alike, the idea of democracy is flexible, rules of the game differ across countries, accommodation different context, adaptable, equality of opportunity (i) We"re politically equal under the rule of law. Rules of the game that facilitate political equality. Public contestation: people can descent, mobilize and protest. Inclusive participation: pluralism, not only for elites, equality of outcome (ii) Challenge 1: collective action problem: voter turn out - no one really votes. Not greater than 60 % will actually vote: (i) costs, (ii) benefits. Our single vote does not tip the scale. The benefits are tiny that the benefits are not worth the cost: (iii) free- riding. Explains why it is not rational to vote. Not rational self interest: it is not rational to vote, we tend not to exercise the power of voting, democratic pluralism assumes political equality. Challenge 2: the fallacy of democratic pluralism.
